West Ham passed up on the chance to appoint Ruben Amorim earlier this year, and it wasn't because of his hefty release clause.
The Hammers were weighing up their managerial options, with David Moyes' popularity steadily decreasing at the London Stadium. In April, club chiefs held talks with Amorim, who whipped up a frenzy in Portugal after being spotted flying to the UK.
Ultimately, West Ham opted to stick with Moyes until the end of the season before appointing Julen Lopetegui as his full-time successor. It was initially suspected that the east Londoners turned their noses up at Amorim due to the £8.3million fee it would have taken to prise him away from Sporting.
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Lopetegui, by contrast, was a free agent after leaving Wolves almost a year prior. However, The Daily Mail claim that West Ham's decision was not motivated by saving money.
Instead, they held concerns about Amorim's lack of experience at a big club and felt that appointing him would be too big of a gamble. The 39-year-old's only major managerial assignment has been with Sporting, having previously taken charge of Casa Pia in the third tier, and Braga.
Following West Ham's snub, Amorim went on to win the 2023/24 Liga Portugal title by 10 clear points, and he has started this season with a flawless record of nine victories from nine league games.
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Manchester United bosses evidently feel that Amorim is no longer a gamble, and INEOS moved quickly to bring him in before others could beat them to the punch. The Red Devils have reportedly agreed a fee with Sporting and Amorim is keen to take the reins at Old Trafford, with INEOS chief Sir Dave Brailsford confirming on Wednesday night that the deal is 'done'.
The only remaining question for United is when Amorim can begin working with his new players. Ruud van Nistelrooy has been in temporary charge since Erik ten Hag's sacking on Monday, and he led the team to a 5-2 Carabao Cup win over Leicester City on Wednesday.
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United may not be able to welcome Amorim until the November international break due to his 30-day notice period. Speaking at his latest Sporting press conference, the Portuguese said: "We have to wait a little bit more to explain everything I need to explain. It will be very clear. It's my decision. I will tell everything but we have to wait, and that's it."
When asked how long fans would have to wait, Amorim said: "I don't know." He also appeared to deny that he would be on the Old Trafford touchline for the Chelsea game this Sunday.
